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Tafirenyika ‘Taffi’ Dube

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
SOUTH Africa-based maskandi artiste, Zinjaziyamluma, has donated his acoustic guitar to Bulawayo’s popular street musician Tafirenyika “Taffi” Dube who lost his to thieves over the weekend.

The visually impaired Taffi, who is known as Zimbabwe’s very own Don Williams, has been playing on the streets of Bulawayo for the past 20 years and has become a permanent feature outside Pioneer House.

After learning of Taffi’s plight through Skyz Metro FM, Zinjaziyamluma said he was sorry about Taffi losing his guitar and wanted to help.

“When I heard that Taffi’s guitar was stolen, I was touched that an elderly person like him, who’s trying to make ends meet through singing on the streets, had the only thing bringing him income taken away from him.

“Since I have two guitars, one I use when I’m in South Africa and the other when I’m in Zimbabwe, I decided to give him the one in Zimbabwe,” said Zinjaziyamluma from his South Africa base.

The award-winning artiste said the guitar is at his home in Tsholotsho and is supposed to be delivered to Taffi by today.

“I asked the guys who run kombis from my home area to pick up the guitar from my home in Tsholotsho and give it to Taffi on Friday,” said Zinjaziyamluma.

Taffi said he was grateful for the response from people with regards to his plight. Explaining how his guitar was stolen, Taffi said he had left it with the security guard at Pioneer House to look after overnight only to be told that they could not find it the next morning.

“Normally what happens is that when I knock off after a hard day’s work singing, I leave my guitar with the security guard downstairs at Pioneer House.

This is what I did on Sunday evening.

“On Monday morning, I was told that when the security guard did his rounds in the evening checking for people who might be loitering in the building, a thief took the opportunity and stole my guitar from the desk.

“When the guard came back, he noticed that the instrument was missing,” narrated Taffi.

Responding to calls to assist Taffi, some well wishers bought him a keyboard which he was spotted using during the week. Now with Zinjaziyamluma’s contribution of a guitar, Taffi will now have a complete set of instruments.